Easy-open Container And Method Of Making Same

Abstract

An easy-open container and method of making same is provided wherein such container has a container body which has a top right circular cylindrical portion which has a plurality of angularly spaced apart thread segments. A quick-release cap is provided and has a cooperating plurality of angularly spaced apart thread segments in perfect threaded engagement with the thread segments of the top portion and an axially compressed resilient sealing means is provided between the cap and the cylindrical portion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are numerous easy-open containers in current use which have reclosable closure caps. In general, these containers are comparatively expensive to manufacture and often use an excessive amount of material in order to provide a vessel capable of containing products, such as a carbonated beverage, for example, at pressures greater than ambient.

To provide greater structural integrity therefor some of these present containers have single piece bottoms and side walls wherein the side walls are seamless walls. Usually each of these present containers which has a single-piece side wall and bottom wall is made from a sheet metal blank by drawing and ironing the metal arranged concentrically around a bottom-wall defining central portion and inherently the bottom wall of the final container has an excessive thickness which increases the overall cost of the container unnecessarily.

SUMMARY

This invention provides an improved easy-open container and method of making same wherein such container is of simple construction, has optimum structural integrity and is economical to build because it uses a minimum amount of material. The container comprises a container body having a top right circular cylindrical portion and a plurality of angularly spaced apart thread segments on the right circular cylindrical portion with a quick-release cap being provided and having a cooperating plurality of angularly spaced apart segments in perfect threaded engagement with the thread segments of the top portion and such cap has an axially compressible resilient sealing means between the cap and the cylindrical portion.

Other details, uses, and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent from the embodiments thereof presented in the following specification, claims, and drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawing shows a present preferred embodiment of this invention, in which

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation with parts in cross section and parts broken away illustrating one exemplary embodiment of the container of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the upper portion of the container of FIG. 1 and showing the closure cap therefor positioned in exploded relation above such container;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the top portion of the container of FIG. 1 taken essentially on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic presentation illustrating a series of method steps which may be employed to make, fill with a product, and close the container of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 of the drawing which illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a container of this invention which has a quick-release resealable cover cap and such container is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The reclosable container 10 is particularly adapted to contain a product such as a product under pressure and in this example the container 10 is presented as containing a consumable product in the form of a carbonated beverage which is designated generally by the reference letter B.

The container 10 comprises a container body which is designated generally by the reference numeral 11 and such body has a right circular cylindrical main part 12 and a right circular cylindrical top portion 13 with the portions 12 and 13 being connected by a frustoconical transition portion 14, see FIG. 4. The parts 12, 13 and 14 are made as a single unit and have a substantially uniform thickness throughout. The main body 12 has a necked or reduced diameter bottom portion 15 also of right circular cylindrical configuration and a bottom wall 16 is fixed to the portion 15 in a fluid-tight manner so that the container is capable of withstanding comparatively high internal pressures.

The bottom wall 16 has a thickness which is preferably no greater than the thickness of the container body 11 and hence its uniform thickness portions 12-14 and wall 16 is fixed in position using seaming or flanging equipment of the type commonly used in the art to define a bottom chime or bead 17. The bead 17 is such that its outer circumferential surface is within the maximum peripheral or circumferential outline of the main body portion 12 and as illustrated at 20 in FIG. 1.

As seen particularly in FIG. 3 the top portion 13 of body 11 has a plurality of angularly spaced apart male helical thread segments 21; and, the container 10 has a quick-release resealable closure cap 22. The cap has a cooperating plurality of angularly spaced apart thread segments in the form of female thread segments 23 each of which is in threaded engagement with an associated thread segment 21 as shown at 24 in FIG. 4.

The container 10 also has an axially compressible sealing means 25 of approximately annular configuration and arcuate as viewed in cross section. The sealing means 25 may be made of any suitable compressible resilient material such as an elastomeric material, or the like, so that with the cap 22 in threaded engagement over the portion 13 of container body 11 the sealing means 25 provides a fluid-tight seal.

The construction and the cooperating arrangement of the portion 13 of container 10 and the associated cap 22 are such that in the event the entire contents of the container 10, such as a beverage B, are not used after the cap 22 has been initially removed then such cap may again be threaded into engagement over the top portion 13 to compress the sealing means 25 and again provide a fluid-tight seal for container 10.

As seen particularly in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 the cap 22 has a plurality of angularly spaced bulged portions 26 therein which, as will be apparent from FIG. 2, correspond in number to the plurality of male helical thread segments 21 in the portion 13 and hence the same plurality of thread segments 23 in the cap 22. The bulged portions 26 are provided in a tubular skirt 27 comprising the cap 22; and, the skirt 27 extends downwardly from a recessed top portion 28 of the cap and terminates in an annular bottom bead 29.

The cap 22 is in a fluid-tight sealed realtion when its helical thread segments 23 are threadedly engaged with the helical thread segments 21 of the right circular cylindrical portion 13 and the threadedly engaged segments cause the compressible sealing means 25 to be axially compressed against a bead-like flange 30 of substantially semi-toroidal configuration which defines the top of the right circular cylindrical portion 13. The cap 22 is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, relative to the container body 11 until the bulged portions 26 are rotated into vertical alignment with the helical thread segments 21 whereupon the cap 22 may be simply lifted vertically and removed from the container body 11.

Any desired number of helical thread segments 21 may be provided on right circular cylindrical portion 13 with a corresponding number of helical thread segments 23 being provided on the cap 22; however, in this example, a plurality of 6 thread segments are provided on portion 13 and cap 22. Each of the thread segments 21 on the top portion 13 extends through an angular distance or angle of 30.degree. and each end of each thread segment 21 is spaced an angular distance of 30.degree. from the near edge of its most closely adjacent thread segment 21. The thread segments 23 in the cap 22 are similarly arranged with the bulged portions 26 being interposed between each closely adjacent pair of thread segments 23. With this arrangement the threaded cap 22 may be released simply by rotating it through an angle of 30.degree. whereupon the cooperating thread segments 23 are unthreaded from their associated portions 21 and the bulged portions 26 are precisely aligned thereover allowing the cap 22 to be lifted vertically away from the container 10.

With the cap 22 in threaded engagement with the top portion 13 of the container 10, the helical thread segments 21 and 23 are in perfect threaded engagement throughout; and, this is due to the fact that the thread segments 21 and 23 are made in a simultaneous manner and as will be discussed in detail hereinafter in connection with the method of this invention.

Having described the detailed construction of the container 10 and its quick-release resealable cover cap 22 the detailed description will now proceed with a description of method steps which may be employed to define such container and cap and for this description particular reference is now made to FIG. 5 of the drawing.

A workpiece, preferably in the form of a flat circular sheet-like workpiece W made of a suitable metallic material is provided as shown at location A and such workpiece may be suitably formed, preferably by drawing and ironing, to define a container body which for simplicity will be designated by the reference numeral 11 throughout its various stages of forming presented in FIG. 5 even though the completed container body of container 10 is also designated by the reference numeral 11. In addition, wherever possible during the description of the method employed to form the workpiece W and for easy correlation with the completed container 10, reference numerals which are identical to various component portions of the completed container 10 will also be utilized for the components of the container construction or body being formed.

The container body 11 formed from workpiece W has a comparatively large diameter main body portion 12, a right circular cylindrical portion 13, and a frustoconical transition portion 14 as shown at location B and a transverse wall 35 of substantial thickness defines the terminal outermost end of the right circular cylindrical portion 13. The construction shown at B may be defined by one or more forming operations, such as, drawing and ironing operations, for example.

The central portion of the transverse wall 35 is then severed using any suitable severing or cutting means and removed as shown at location C so that the body 11 has an inwardly directed flange means or annular flange 37. In addition, in applications, such as this, where it is desired to define the container 10 having a reduced diameter or necked-in portion at the opposite end of its main portion 12 for attachment of a bottom wall having a corresponding reduced diameter, a portion 15 is also formed in the container body.

The container body 11 is then suitably reformed as shown at location D and the inwardly directed flange means of flange 37 is formed into a bead-like configuration or bead 30.

A cap structure is suitably made as illustrated at E with such cap structure having a tubular wall or skirt 27 extending downwardly from a recessed top portion 28 and the skirt terminates in an annular bead 29. The tubular wall or skirt 27 is formed so as to define a plurality of six bulged portions 26 therein and the bulged portions are constructed and arranged as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. During the process of forming the cap, sealing means in the form of an annular thickness of compressible sealing means 25 is also suitably bonded to the inside surface of such cap.

As seen at location F, the cap structure 22 is then placed in telescoped relation concentrically around the right circular cylindrical portion 13 of the container body 11 with the resilient sealing means 25 engaging bead-like flange 30. The cap structure 22 and the container body 11 are held in axially compressed relation between cooperating die means or dies 40 and 41 which operatively associate with and engage the cap structure 22 and container body 11 respectively. The dies 40 and 41 have suitable cooperating helical thread segment-defining means therein and are relatively rotatable about a central axis 42 over a predetermined angle to form the thread segments 21 in the cylindrical portion 13 and the thread segments 23 in the cap structure 22 in a simultaneous manner. Because of the simultaneous forming of the thread segments 21 and 23 by the dies 40 and 41 these thread segments are in perfect threaded engagement while the sealing means 25 is also held in fluid-tight compressed condition.

As explained earlier, the bulged portions 26 are formed in the cap structure 22 during the separate forming of such cap. These bulged portions 26 are suitably held within the dies 40 and 41 and the helical thread segment-defining portions are also suitably constructed and arranged so that the thread segments 21 and 23 are defined in spaces around the cap 22 between the bulged portions 26.

The cooperating dies 40 and 41 are then moved apart and the container construction is filled with an associated product and such product, described herein as a carbonated beverage B, may be introduced therein as illustrated at G through a suitable nozzle 43 or the like. The filling is achieved with the container construction in an inverted position.

A bottom wall or closure 16 for the filled container construction may be made using any suitable end closure forming machine. The bottom wall 16 is suitably fixed on the container construction as illustrated at H and any suitable apparatus such as a seaming or mechanical flanging apparatus of known construction may be used for this purpose whereby a fluid-tight bottom bead or chime 17 is provided and the now filled and sealed container 10 is ready for shipment.

The unique method of this invention enables the walls of container 10 to be made of a substantially uniform thickness throughout which is compatible with the product to be contained therewithin. The main body of such container is a seamless body having a thickness which is controlled by the precision process of drawing and ironing. Further, as illustrated at location C in FIG. 5, the method steps employed are such that once the central portion 36 of the transverse wall 35 is severed a substantial amount of thick material is eliminated from the container body and such material is material which is easily recycled and reused while the flange portion 37 is further drawn and ironed. Thus, the overall cost of the container 10 is kept at a minimum because it does not employ a bottom wall of excessive thickness, inasmuch as the separately made bottom wall 16 may be made of comparatively smaller thickness.

Although any suitable material may be used to define the various components of container 10 such components are all preferably made of the same material and such material may be in the form of a metallic material which is preferably a metallic material containing aluminum.

While present exemplary embodiments of this invention, and methods of practicing the same, have been illustrated and described, it will be recognized that this invention may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An easy-open container comprising, a container body having a top right circular cylindrical portion, a plurality of angularly spaced apart thread segments on said top portion, a cap having a cooperating plurality of angularly spaced apart thread segments in threaded engagement with said thread segments of said top portion, each of said thread segments of said cylindrical portion being surrounded above and below by parts of said cap defining an associated thread segment of said cap so that said thread segments of said cylindrical portion and said cap are in substantially perfect threaded engagement throughout due to having been made simultaneously, and axially compressed resilient sealing means between said container cap and cylindrical portion.

2. A container as set forth in claim 1 in which said cap and top portion are made of a metallic material.

3. A container as set forth in claim 1 in which said thread segments are helical thread segments and said sealing means is bonded to said cap and enables resealing of said cap upon removal and reinstallation thereof.

4. A container as set forth in claim 3 in which said top portion has an inwardly turned bead-like flange and said sealing means is urged against said bead-like flange.

5. A container as set forth in claim 3 in which said sealing means is a plastisol.

6. A container as set forth in claim 3 in which said plurality of angularly spaced apart thread segments consist of a plurality of six thread segments and each thread segment extends through an angle of 30.degree. and each end thereof is spaced 30.degree. from an adjacent thread segment.

7. A container as set forth in claim 3 in which said cap has a plurality of angularly spaced apart bulged portions therein corresponding in number to said plurality of thread segments of said top portion, said bulged portions being adapted to be rotated in alignment over thread segments projecting outwardly from said right circular cylindrical portion to enable removal of said cap from said right circular cylindrical portion.

8. A container as set forth in claim 3 in which said container body comprises a cylindrical main portion and a frustoconical transition portion extending between said main portion and said top right circular cylindrical portion with said portions being made as a single unit and having a substantially uniform thickness throughout.

9. A container as set forth in claim 8 and further comprising a bottom wall fixed to the bottom edge portion of said main portion with said bottom wall having a substantially uniform thickness throughout.

10. A container as set forth in claim 9 in which said container body, cap and bottom wall are made of a metallic material containing aluminum and have a substantially uniform thickness.

11. A container as set forth in claim 10 in which said bottom wall is attached to said main body portion by a mechanically swaged circumferential bead arranged within the peripheral outline of said main body portion.